believe in yourself. be patient. >> dana: speaking of dreams you had a dreams of my five that you haven't done this week. >> greg: i'll do it tomorrow. running out of time. way to ruin the segment. dais is it for us -- >> dana: that is it for us. thank you for watching. see you tomorrow. >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier. this is "special report." we're coming to you tonight from the university of denver, daniel l. richie center. site of wednesday's presidential debate. more on that in a bit. but we begin with potential trouble for the obama administration. word tonight that the white house had more warning we thought about the violence that resulted in death of four americans at the u.s. mission in libya last month, including the killing of the first u.s. ambassador since 1979. lawmakers say those in benghazi begged for security increases but were refused. here is catherine herridge.

>> how secure was the consulate in benghazi before the assault on 9/11? republicans in a letter to secretary of state hillary clinton ad 12 incidents that show security was unstable, unraveling and pleas for help were rejected. the u.s. mission in libya made repeated requests for increased security in benghazi. the mission in libya, however, was denied the resources by officials in washington. >> what we saw was a pattern that made us question whether or not there was ever enough security and whether or not they heeded the warnings. >> committee chairman darrell issa is drawing attention to the r.p.g. attack in benghazi on june 11. >> the most disturbing was absolute attempt to assassinate the british ambassador that could have succeeded and obviously cast real questions on whether our ambassador was properly protected. >> briefing the state department spokesperson said secretary clinton would respond to the oversight committee today. adding -- >> yoit's fair to say we're

still working through what we have in the building in terms of documentation, in terms of information, what we knew, who knew and when we knew it. >> reporter: the letters obtained exclusive by fox news appeared to confirm similar allegations and show the state department refuse to get involved in the dispute between blue mountain libya, security license holder and the operation blue mountain u.k. that trained and provided local guard. source with knowledge of the two state department meetings one in june and the second in july tells fox that the libyan contract holder felt the security provided by blue mountain u.c. was substandard and the situation was unworkable. when the libyans tried to bring in a third party, american contractor to improve security, state department contract officer shut it down. the u.s. government is not required to mediate any disagreements between the two parties of the blue mountain libya partnership. adding contract performance is satisfactory. >> you are taking me to capillaries of the security

system i don't have information to answer here. >> no immediate response from the blue mountain u.c u.k. to fox's request for comment. they're not denying report that the administration is laying the initial groundwork to kill or capture behind the terrorist attack. >> bret: we'll continue to follow it. thank you. more breaking news out of washington tonight. the obama administration made a move today that had some people thinking it may be trying to revive the plan to transfer some of the world's most dangerous terrorists to american soil. correspondent shannon bream is following that story. >> we need it in the federal prison system. >> today, the federal government spent $165 million to buy a correctionm facility in illinois that for years has been at the senator of contentious debate over bringing terror detainees from guantanamo bay, cuba, to the united states. in presidential penal ran dumb, president obama direct -- memorandum, president obama directed eric

holder to prepare it to house detainees. sparking backlash on capitol hill. lawmakers sought to block any funning to transfer suspects from gitmo to the mainland. they vowed not to place any detainee at the illinois facility. >> we will not move people from guantanamo regardless of the state of law to thompson. that is my penal as attorney general. >> skeptics including one of the vocal critics of the original plan, congressman frank wolf remained doubtful. >> you can't take the attorneyien at his word. >> that is not world's only objection. >> as of now you are fined violation of the senate earmark been a, if you have an earmark been a, i think the american people are really expecting you to live up to it. >> reporter: others argue the $165 million request came directly from the executive branch, which isn't bound by congressmember self-imposed earmark band. it doesn't meet the definition of an earmark.

house appropriation committee chair republican hal rogers called the prison purchase backdoor move by the administration and pledging full opposition by the appropriation committee. supporters of the deal say there have been bipartisan support. several republicans including congressman done manzulo and shilling publicly praised the transfer. today, illinois democrat durbin said president obama desevens credit for getting the deal done. >> it's a commitment to a man who knows the state, a man who represented the state, the united states senate. a man who hasn't forgotten his home state of illinois. >> documents filed today do give the attorney general wide latitude to house people at the facility who in his opinion are proper subject for confinement in such institutions. >> bret: thank you. more in the top two stories with the panel later. now to politics and the reason we're here in denver. we're five weeks away from the election. that's 35 days from today.

the two candidates are getting ready for their closeups. right here tomorrow night. both have spent considerable time on tactics and strategy for this first debate. chief white house correspondent ed henry looks at what the two men are likely to face from each other. >> trying to project a calm and cool image ahead of the critical first debate. president obama delivered one of theness campaign offices and dialed up volunteers as he compared debate prep to cramming for a final exam. >> it's a drag. [ laughter ] they are making me do my homework. >> back in washington, even more difficult verdict from the treasury department. the federal government added $1.3 trillion to the national debt over the fiscal year that ended just days ago. debt increase of just over $11,000 per household in only 12 months. stark numbers for a president already facing 8.1% unemployment. heading to a debate focused on

the economy and domestic issues. >> how they can justify raising taxes to the middle class has been buried the last four years. >> dramatic admission today about the president's first term from vice president biden. which gave republicans some predebate ammunition. though he charged bush policies are to blame. >> by the time we were elected they had eight years doubled the national debt. debt clock. doubled it. in addition to that, they had the slowest job private job growth since world war ii under this policy. >> another key debate topic, healthcare. romney is defensive about his massachusetts plan. today, the obama camp charged the promise to repeal the president's law will knock millions off the insurance. republicans are circulating a secretly recorded video of a recent meeting among local government officials here in henderson where the president is doing debate prep. officials discuss how implementing the president's law will cost city employees

an extra $40 a month. >> a challenge beyond belief. >> in exclusive interview with fox in nevada, senator marco rubio says the video shows the issue will blow up on the president. >> that's the tip of the iceberg. if we have four more years of obama, if obamacare is not repealed we'll have story after story of that one. >> senator rubio is here shadowing the president. he told me he agrees with governor chris christie that romney is a strong debate torso they're still not low -- strong debater, so they are still not lowering the expectation. the message is simple: the country can't afford four more months, let alone four more years. >> bret: ed henry traveling with the president in las vegas. thank you. one thing you can just about guarantee to hear wednesday night here is reference to mitt romney's comment on that videotape about the now infamous 47%. chief political correspondent carl cameron has that story and the rest of the debate prep from here in denver.

>> day before facing off with president obama in denver, romney attended staff meetings and stepped out for mexican fast food with the ohio senator rob portman, the man playing the president in the mock debate rehearsals. his wife ann hit the trail in his stead. >> we're focused and i can't wait for the contrast we're going to hear tomorrow. >> campaigning in iowa, running mate paul ryan asked about the confession that 47% who don't pay income taxes think government owes them. >> get them a job so they're good taxpayers. >> we don't want a stagnant economy that fosters dependency. we added 50 million people to food stamp rolls in the last four years because there is no opportunity, no economic growth. >> in the debate, romney is sure to be asked what is now shorthanded as his 47% remarks. he previewed his explanation to denver fox affiliate. >> i'm a president for 100% of

the american people. that is the real percent people care about. not 99% versus 1%. not 47%. i'm president for 100% of the people and demonstrated that throughout my life. >> within hours of the vice president remark in the state of the middle class in four years, ryan took him to task. >> vice president biden just today said that the middle class over the last four years has been, "buried." we agree. they're being buried by regulations, buried by taxes. buried by borrowing. they're being buried by the obama administration economic failures. >> romney rallied a crowd of 5,000 upon alive denver last knight and showed a bit of his planned debate criticism of the president's record. >> we know where the president's pathway leads because we're on it. we have seen it for four year years. one out of six americans now in pos post poverty. 23 million americans looking for a job. >> it's further amplify

criticism like that, at the debate tomorrow night. the romney campaign believes they got a big gift today from none other than the vice president joe biden when he said that the middle class has been buried in the last four years. four years when president obama has been in charge. >> bret: carl, just down the road in denver. thank you. some good news. chrysler is reporting the best september sales in five years, 12% bump. g.m. and ford were either up slightly or flat. toyota surgeed 42%. volkswagen was up 34%. private real estate service says home prices jumped 4.6% this august. that is the largest year to year increase in more than six years. the dow was unimpressed today. losing 33. the s&p 500 gained one. the nasdaq up 6.5. still ahead, another border patrol agent gunned down in

infamous spot. is the president playing politics with pending layoffs? inside the richie center now, the home base in spin room. where special special be broadcast from and where i'll sit in debate with brit hume and joe trippi. this is the spin room, where a lot of media will be sitting throughout the debate. 3,500 members of the media credentialed for this event. this is where everyone comes afterwards to get spun. follow me now to stage. we'll go in back way. everything with the debate is done fairly according to the presidential debate commission. including the order in which they are introduced. president obama will be introduced first because he won the coin toss. he will come from stage left. he will come down this corridor right here. up these stairs. to the stage.

the president will be introduced first on to the stage. this is where he will go to his podium. governor romney will come from the other side of the stage, will be introduced second. the order of questioning, president obama won the toss. he gets the first question. closing statesments, romney won the toss so he will go last. in this auditorium there are 1 ,500 seats. we don't know how many exact people will be here but we can tell you this. everybody, there will be millions and millions and millions of people tuning in to this debate to see the two men at these two podiums. answer these questions. an talk to each other. "special report" continues after this break. ♪

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>> bret: back outside the richie center, the top human resources official at the veterans administration resigned over another spending scandal. obama administration appointee john sepelveda quit as an inspector general report detailed abuses at v.a. summit in orlando that cost more than $6 million tax dollars. massive cuts are holding over the defense industry at the end of the year. we talked about that before. the obama administration wants contractors to hold off on layoff notices. not only that, the

administration is promising something else that has republicans in an uproar in washington. fox business network correspondent rich edison explains from washington tonight. good evening. >> good evening. it's called the warn act, and it says certain contractors must give their workers 60 days' notice ahead of layoffs. with more than $50 million in automatic defense cuts hitting january 2, companies should start warning the employees before election day, but not so fast. obama administration says warning workers in the next few months is inappropriate. even saying that government will pick up some company legal bills in case layoff workers sue because their bosses failed to give them enough warning. republicans charge the administration is trying to prevent voters in swing states from getting layoff notices days before the election. in a letter to the office of management and budget, republican senator john mccain, kelly aott and lindsey graham say president obama put his own re-election ahead of the interest of working american. and obama administration is

cynically trying to skirt the warn act to keep american people in dark about the looming national security and fiscal crisis. now other republicans are demanding the legal justif justification for the move. there is political uncertainty surrounding the cut and the pentagon says it's not even fully planning for them, preferring that congress reverse them. they say the automatic cut will be gradual. >> what would be affected is the awarding of new contract, or extension of contract or exercise of contract options in the months after sequestions ration. the key, though, is the timing. i would not happen immediately on january 2. it would happen in months and years that follow. >> defense contractors so far followed the administration guidance with lockheed martin announcing it will not move ahead with layoff notices before the election. bret? >> bret: picking up the legal bills is the real question. we'll follow up on that, rich.

thank you. still ahead -- huge decision about pennsylvania's voter i.d. law. first, another border patrol agent makes the ultimate sacrifice. ♪

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>> bret: the u.s. border patrol is preparing to bury another one of its own. lawmakers back in washington are demanding answers. border patrol agent has been killed and a second wounded along the arizona boarder with mexico. correspondent william la jeunesse is in los angeles with details. good evening, william. >> this is the third border patrol agent killed this year and the first shot in line of duty since brian terry two years ago. authorities say that 30-year-old nicolas aye i have

was killed around -- nicolas ivy was killed around 2:00 a.m. today. he joined the border patrol four years ago and leaves behind a wife and two daughters. shoot og cured south of tucson near the border town that is close to state route 80 which connects to interstate 10 which is why this is active drug smuggling corridor. when the acts responded the gunmen opened fire. ivy you on horseback was killed. another agent shot twice is in stable condition. a third was not wounded. border agents are typically armed with a handgun and rifleo. cartel smugglers carry assault weapons and use radios and spotters to receive real-time info on where the border patrol is and is not. as backpackers carry bundles of cocaine and marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin, in to a drop zone. investigators would not say if any suspects were shot. how many there were, or what evidence was collected.

>> agent ivy died in line of duty. protecting our nation against those who threaten our way of life. his death threatens our resolve to enforce the rule of law an bring those response to believe justice. >> now the shooting occurred some 90-miles from where brian terry was killed two years ago. weapons found at his murder scene were tied to operation "fast and furious." many fear the same could be true here. that is uncertain because we don't know what evidence was or was not collected. we're told a virtual army of agent and sheriff deputies on the ground. state and federal helicopters in the air looking for shooters. they hope they are hunkered down not make it over the border. back to you. >> we'll follow that. on the other side of the country from us tonight, victory for the president and his party. judge in pennsylvania blocked enforcement of the state voter i.d. law for november election.

senior correspondent eric shawn tells us what this mea means. >> when pennsylvaniaens show up to vote in november, poll workers will ask for a photo i.d. voters don't have to show one. it lets the voter i.d. law stand but won't be enforced. common law judge simpson worries not enough people got photoi.d.es. he worried about voting by provisionage ballot showing who they are in six days. proponents are thrilled. >> hallmark of our democracy is universal suffrage. we're known around the globe. that is one of the reasons we're admired. now in pennsylvania we're reasserting that view. it should not be difficult for people to vote. >> critics aim it's trying to stop elderly and minorities voting. out of 8 million voters the

state says more than 759,000 have not had a photoi.d. over 19,000 of those have not are received one and issued at a rate of 200 a day. not enough says judge simpson. "i expected more photo i.d. to have been issued by this time. remaining in five weeks before the general election. the gap between the photo i.d.s issued and the estimated need will not be closed." while the chairman of the state republican party gleason expressed disappointment the ruling is postponed, reform that affects sanctity of the election process. >> generally speaking this is not a bad ruling. this is something that upholds the constitutionality of the voter i.d. this is a really a win-win for both sides. >> the ruling comes on a day when early in-person voting

began in florida and ohio. they don't need i.d. to vote in ohio but they need one for florida. >> bret: eric shawn live in new york. no grapevine tonight. but romney trying to close what appears to be a huge gender gap. mike rowe here at a ford dealer with a little q&a for fiona. tell me fiona, who's having a big tire event? your ford dealer. who has 11 major brands to choose from? your ford dealer. who's offering a rebate? your ford dealer. who has the low price tire guarantee... affording peace of mind to anyone who might be in the market for a new set of res? your ford dealer. i'm beginning to sense a pattern. buy four select tires, get a $60 rebate. use the ford service credit credit card, get $60 more. that's up to $120. where did you get that sweater vest? your ford dealer.

>> welcome back to denver. we told you yesterday from arapahoe county, women make up a significant voting bloc in colorado, higher than some states. arapahoe county with 53% of the voters. romney is trailing by 15 points in the recent of several surveys among women.

today we went to find out what women in colorado are saying about the issues and about this race. >> obama's policies are making it harder on women. the poverty rate for women, highest in 17 years. >> when it comes to environment, it's a clear choice. i'm voter for president obama. >> it's a clear choice. no secret, one day before the first debate, both campaigns are focusing op women voters. especially here in colorado. >> we want to know that america is going to be okay. >> diana is a hair stylist who will soon own her own business. she says she is still not sure who will get her vote. >> i'm still trying to figure it out. i do a lot of research. i read a lot. i want to make sure i pick the best candidate. i don't want to go by hearsay or what everybody else is

doing. >> she see dark economic clouds on the horizon. >> people are afraid of losing social security, and benefits. it's hard. it's hard to feel safe right now. >> with me with politics how is the economy looking? how is the economy doing? >> nancy collins out with her dog buttercup says ideally she wants a candidate who shares her family values but says economic issues trump everything else. >> i don't like where we are right now and i don't agree the policies considering them happening here. but we came out of the worst economy. in how many years? i don't know if anybody could have fixed it. >> bret: are you driven to vote one way? have you decided yet? >> i decided. >> bret: can i ask you? >> sure. i am definitely going to vote for romney.

the change will be good. >> economy at the top of my list. if that is strong, even is strong. >> helen rice, owns an artisan market in littleton. she is anxious to see how president obama talks about the country's economic future over the next four years. >> i feel as a business owner the economy is still kind of shaky. it wouldn't take a lot to make that real unstable. but i feel like we made progress in the last four years. >> what factors in for her? >> i care about the middle class. people trying to make a living at their own business. so, i don't want to see the rich getting richer. i'm not that kind of businesswoman. >> you're a mom of three? >> three teenagers. >> business person? >> business person. >> debbie brown doesn't sugar coat it. she wants more women involved. that's why she is involved. as director of the colorado women's alliance. group that defines itself as researching and vo kateing on issues that women care about

most. >> every woman's issue isn't birth control issue. a lot of us to who feel like pandering and the scare tactics don't work for us and we want to focus on job creation, healthcare with real access and issues that affect women every day. >> do you think it's getting through in colorado? women make up a big part of the voting bloc? >> i think some of it is getting through. a lot is on the debate night tomorrow night. but a tough one. women are feeling scared. whichever candidate makes the best case will win the women vote. >> molly a financial consultant runs a project for debbie's group called my purse politics. to inform women of financial issues. >> women aren't paying attention to politics online. not reading it.

they get the information from a movie star on tv. they hear a tag line from someone they like to watch in a movie saying you have to vote one way if you are a woman because this woman cares about your right. great. i'll tune out and do what that person says. instead of listening to a tag line, do your research. >> she is a committed romney supporter 100%. >> college graduates coming in here with degrees that aren't even close to what i do here. just trying to find a job. which makes me incredibly sad for them. i know it has to be hard to not find something they love they studied for four or five years. in some cases with masters degrees coming in to store like mine, this is not what they want to do. find a job and it breaks my

heart for them to do that. >> talked to a lot of women who didn't want to talk on camera. obama supporters and romney supports. this state is very tight. within the margin of error. coming up, libbia, sequestration and guantanamo bay: is it moving? big issues. we talk about it with the fox all-stars when we return to denver.

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what we saw is a pattern to make us question whether there was ever enough security and whether or not they heeded warpings that were given that appear to indicate al-qaeda organizing for what happened. >> secretary intends to respond to the congressman today. her letter will make absolutely clear the desire of this department, her personal desire to cooperate closely with the committee. and with all members of congress. >> bret: the chairman of the house oversight committee talking about the security at the u.s. mission in libya. new allegations from whistle blowers that there were requests for more security at that consulate that were denied by the obama administration. in fact, 12 alleged incidents and that they made repeated requests according to letter sent by darrell issa.

and that the requests for denied by washington. let's start there. bringing in the panel from all over the country tonight. steve hayes senior writer for "weekly standard." joins us tonight from indianapolis. juan williams, columnist with the hill. is right here in denver with us. syndicated columnist charles krauthammer is in washington. steve, start with the libya story. it continues to have legs. it continues to it seems to have more and more about this story. what about this issa development and how it plays? >> look, i think it's significant. we have details coming out problematic for the administration and suggest we weren't getting the entire story from the administration, from the outset. remember, you had susan rice and others, not just susan rice, who were suggesting that the consulate was as well secured as it could have been. not only the security contractors on the ground to provide security for ambassador and the building itself, but many members of it that made it sound like a big

team. it appears that is not case. we learned two other things to present additional problems. we heard about the telephone intercept between al-qaeda linked groups about the attac attack. we know the phone call took place after the attack and the administration had access it to quickly after the attack. so the question is if they knew that, if they had access to that administration to zo quickly after the attack why wasn't it shared with the american people? finally we have the commander, the top general in africa who oversees this, carter hamm, told reporters in july that the united states hasn't done enough to degrade the growing threat from al-qaeda and he was saying it in july. should have been raising alarm bells in washington at the time. >> bret: juan. you know, we here at fox report a lot of this at the

very beginning. we were one of the first to report that the intelligent officials were telling us privately they knew in 24 hours this was in fact terrorism and convinced it was tied to al-qaeda. where do you think the story goes? and as more media outlets appear to take it and run with it, does it impact this election? >> the story is political. they hope to make a dent in what they have for foreign affairs. >> bret: talk about the story, itself. >> you asked me about how it impacts the campaign. governor romney yesterday had a piece in the "wall street journal" picking up on this point. if you are asking me where it goes in terms of media coverage, there is a lot to be said. a lot to be learned.

we know intelligence at the time indicated it was response to the video and that later as more information came in, it changed. we know as you heard from steve hayes we had intercepts. we know the contractors were providing security in benghazi. but a lot of that is so far removed from the white house, but from, you know, the state department this is far from anybody making decision to reflect on lack of attention from the white house. >> bret: really? removed from the administration denying request for security? >> it's done by an administrator, down the pipe. somewhere in the state department. my position is far removed from the secretary of state clinton who i don't think is playing politics with ambassadors anyway.

but different from coming from director at the white house. >> itvos the policy of the administration. of course it affects the president. a week earlier they had been proclaiming the death of bin laden, of course. by implication, often by stat statement, at charlotte over and over again, how they had decimateed and removed the threat from al-qaeda. this is a direct takedown of that claim. so it answers the question, all the stuff that is coming out now, about the lack of security for the embassy, the ignoring the threats, the growth of al-qaeda in northern africa that we heard. the fact there were 19 attacks on the embassy in the previous months. including one on april 6. in which two former security guards worked on our side of the fence tossed homemade ieds in the, in the compound. so, all of that is ignored.

the growth of aqim is ignored. warning from the embassy and pleading for security is ignored. you're going to tell me, juan, this isn't affecting the administration and its claims about al-qaeda? that is why. the mystery here is why would you go out and have our ambassador to the u.n. on five channels create a fairytale about all of this being outgrowth of demonstration over a video? the anxious is you want to cover up -- the answer is you want to cover up the security lapses, intelligence lapses, ignoring of the threat. and the fact that one way to put it, if you want to use the phrase of joe biden, bin laden dead, al-qaeda alive. >> bret: i want to get to this other topic. juan, let me move on real quick to get to the other topics. there is concern about gitmo

and moving to thompson facility in illinois. it's not happening. save it for another day. the sequester, contractors under the warn act, which is law, it said that contractors must give employers, employees rather 60 days' notice if they are going to have layoffs now. with the sequestions ration looming -- sequestration looming they are looking to lay off hundreds of workers. the obama administration doesn't want the defense contractors to do that. omb is saying they will pay the contractors legal bills if they are sued by the employe employees. steve, what about this story? >> well, you know, it's one of the stories when i first heard that version of events i assume it can't be true. it can't be true that the obama administration is openly defy the law, which does against specifically what the obama administration is doing.

then would also suggest they would be paying the legal costs. it's outrageous -- if it ends up being exactly as we understand it to be, it's outrageous. i can't manual how they thought they would get away with it. i'll be interested to see if it becomes a bigger story in the next few days. >> bret: juan? >> i think it's clearly political. i think the obama administration here wants to avoid scaring people or creating defense industry a major industry in this country. sense of panic about what may happen with the sequestions ration, because i think they fear it -- see questions ration because they think it will have consequences like producing anxiety. the other way to think of this is say they're confident once the eselection over the president said he thinks if he wins the re-election, he will be if a better position to negotiate with the republicans and deal will be made and

wants to prevent unnecessary anxiety from spreading in the industry. saying he will take steps and administration will take steps in case of lawsuits. two ways to look at it but it's political either way. >> bret: a lot of battleground states who see the employees that would lose their jobs. charles, quickly, yet senators mccain, aott, graham, letter to omb saying obama put his election ahead of interest of the working americans and obama administration is cynically trying to skirt the warn act to keep people in the dark about the looming national security and fiscal crisis. >> well said. of course they're right. the idea that yawn is saying that you don't want pan -- the agenda that juan is saying you don't want panic or anxiety, the union allies of the president demanded a law like this argued it's not an instrument of producing anxiety or panic but a way to fairly prepare an employee for layoff so that he can then prepare for another job. make other arrangements. it obviously undercuts that.

it's lawless. something i would not be surprised that administration specializes in lawlessness would do. >> bret: panel, next up. are we looking at turning minute to the presidential campaign with the debate? we talk about that on the other side of the break.

this is deadly earnest man. this is deadly earnest. how they can justify, how they can justify raising taxes in the middle class has been buried the last four years. how in lord's name can they justify raising their taxes?

>> vice president biden just today said that the middle class over the last four years has been "buried." we agree. they have been buried and they're buried by regulation and taxes, buried by borrowing. they're being buried by the obama administration economic failures. >> the vice presidential candidates talking taxes on the stump. ahead of this big debate. here behind us is richie, the richie auditorium there will be a lot of talk about the economy. just not for the ladies we talked to today and their concerns but for a lot of people wanting to know the next four years what it would look like under both administrations. we're back with the panel. steve, your thoughts about what was said on the trail today? and what lies ahead for the two candidates? >> it's a rather interesting thing that vice president biden said. they tried to clean it up in the hours since he made the

comment but he is right. the middle class has in fact been buried in the past four years. we have seen a drop in real income. real household income over the past four years that is even worse than it was in the immediate recession following the financial collapse of 2008. that is an argument i would expect governor romney to pick up. the real question going in the debates is whether we're going to see governor romney we saw sometimes in the prime, republican primary debates tough and aggressive and took the fight to the opponents. or the softer campaign they're is softer and trying not to drive the contrast so much. >> bret: juan? >> well, i think that obviously vice president biden was talking about the consequences of the deep recession country went in as the administration, administration's perspective, from his perspective as they were trying to get the economy straightened out, that the middle class has had a rough time.

what he is saying, you know, again, being generous to him because it's obviously some gaffe material for the romney campaign. but the administration, the obama administration has been pulling the middle class up. and seeks to continue to do so. tomorrow night, you are going to hear a lot of discuss about taxes, medicare and what the middle class really can expect going forward. so that is the argument that is going to come interestingly not just from obama but from romney. >> bret: okay, charles. >> one bit of repair he has to do. amid attacking the reason that his numbers are so much worse in the swing states than they are in the national polls is because of six months of advertising about he wants to cut the taxes for the rich and tax the middle class. you see ad after that and they are both false. i think he needs to look at the camera straight. explain in a sentence or two why each is completely false.

to then turn to the president and ask him how he can premise his entire election on way of presenting the romney position that is so at odds with the truth. so, bit of defense. then i think he goes on offense. that i think is something he has to do because those images of him as kuing the taxes to the rich to -- and putting burden on the middle class is killing him. >> bret: panel, as always, from different parts of the country, thank you. steve, juan, charles. that's it. but stay tuned for final look ahead from denver as we get ready for this big night tomorrow night. [ female announcer ] food, meet flavor. flavor, meet food. it's time for swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets. mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of...

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>> finally tonight, be sure to join us again wednesday for all of the run up to the first presidential debate of the presidential campaign season. we have all the last minute details. we'll talk with senior advisors, robert gibbs and eric fernstrom from the respective campaigns on "special report." stick with us on fox news channel for live coverage of the debate, a big night beginning just before 9:00 p.m. eastern time. during the debate, you can actually weigh in on twitter about how you feel about it. who is winning, who is losing, just how you